Some personalities leave far-reaching effects in history and the succeeding generations cannot ignore them. Such is the personality of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who showed the ray of light to the Muslims and enabled them to restore their lost status.

The great emancipator of the Indian Muslims Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was born at Delhi on October 17, 1817. This is the period when the great Mughal Empire was close to a complete collapse. Sir Syed’s family had already joined the East India Company and his maternal grandfather served in Iran and Burma under the British government. Sir Syed got interest in English from his maternal family. S M Ikram writes, “For this insight into the affairs of the state and first contacts with Western learning and civilization he was indebted to his maternal grandfather…” Sir Syed was very healthy by birth and his grandfather remarked: “A Jat has been born in our family.” He joined the British as head clerk in 1839. The death of his brother made him serious and energetic to face the neuroses of life courageously. Another event that changed him entirely was the War of Independence in 1857. In 1841, he passed examination and became sub-judge. At the eve of the War of Independence he was performing the duties as sub-judge in Bijnore. He established educational institutions and after coming at Aligarh he rejuvenated his aspirations to work for the depressed Muslims of the Subcontinent. He devoted his entire life for this purpose to bring the Muslims close to the British. He died on March 27, 1898 and was buried in Aligarh.

His Services

He took responsibility of the Indian Muslims when they had been thrown in backwardness, depression and humiliation. The British held them criminal of the War while the Hindus had won the British being anti-Muslim force. In such environment, Sir Syed guided his community to rejoin the life. To Dr Qalb-i-Abid, “Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was among a very few leaders...

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2. Victoria School Ghazipur
SirSyed establised first modern Victoria School at Ghazipur (1864). In this school, besides Modern Education five...

...SIRSYED AHMAD KHAN
A GREAT MUSLIM REFORMER
Following their crushing of the revolution of 1857, the British consolidated their secular rule in the Indian subcontinent, which marginalized, if not totally ignored, religion, particularly Islam. The whole of India suffered in the backlash, but the consequences were most devastating for the Muslims. It was at this critical juncture that Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898)...

...SirSyedAhmedKhan, KCSI [1] (also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) (Urdu: سید احمد خان) (October 17, 1817 – March 27, 1898), commonly known as SirSyed,[2] was an Indian educator and politician, and an Islamic reformer and modernist.[3][4] SirSyed pioneered modern education for the Muslim community in India by founding the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which later developed...

...SIRSYEDAHMEDKHAN: HIS LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONSir Syed’s vision and his laborious efforts to meet the demands of challenging times are highly commendable. The dark post 1857 era was indeed hopeless and only SirSyed could penetrate through its thick veil to visualize the Nation’s destinies. He rightly believed that the past had its merits and its...

...SirSyedAhmedKhan Muslim reformer:
Through the 1850s, SyedAhmedKhan began developing a strong passion for education. While pursuing studies of different subjects including European [jurisprudence], SirSyed began to realise the advantages of Western-style education, which was being offered at newly established colleges across India. Despite being a devout Muslim,...

...SirSyedAhmedKhan Bahadur, GCSI (also Sayyid Ahmad Khan)(Urdu: سید احمد خان بہا در; October 17, 1817 – March 27, 1898), commonly known as SirSyed, was an Indian educator and politician, and an Islamic reformer and modernist[1][2]. SirSyed pioneered modern education for the Muslim community in India by founding the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which later...

...why SirSyedAhmedKhan advised the Muslims to avoid active politics.
To understand the significance of the Aligarh movement let us have a glance at the background of the Aligarh Movement
Background: Indian authority was shifted from the Muslim to the British hands, as a result of the failure of the War of independence. This great debacle shook the entire structure of South Asia’s, social and political life to the depth of its...